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Here’s why we’re holding a Jewish Oktoberfest despite the worst mass slaughter of Jews since the Holocaust
(JTA) — This week, Lehrhaus, the newly opened Jewish tavern and house of learning I run in Somerville, Massachusetts, planned to joyfully announce our long-in-the-works Oktoberfest celebrations.
Lehrhaus Oktoberfest was to be a week of seriously fun events, laced with its its own very particularly Jewish kind of triumph: The world’s first Jewish tavern and house of learning was planning to host the world’s first Jewish Oktoberfest, with educational programming sponsored by the German consulate general in Boston.
But with friends and family in Israel killed, missing and wounded, and everyone bracing for what comes next, that’s an announcement we felt we could no longer make.
On Monday, we planned to completely cancel Oktoberfest. How can life possibly go on as it was? How could we contemplate anything right now beyond the horrific massacre that just took place, the worst mass slaughter of Jews since the Holocaust?
And then I looked up at my fridge, at the most unexpected Jewish New Year card I’ve ever received, and changed my mind. Lehrhaus is going to hold Oktoberfest — albeit a very different one than we had planned. Let me tell you why.
Just over a month ago I received a Rosh Hashanah card from the German Consulate in Boston. In some ways the card made total sense, as the German Consulate is sponsoring our educational programming for Oktoberfest. In other ways, the card came as a total shock.
My grandparents could not possibly have imagined a world where the German government would send Rosh Hashanah cards, let alone sponsor a celebration of Jewish life. And yet, it does. And in a world of growing antisemitism, the German government has emerged as a steadfast ally of the Jewish people.
That card is a reminder that the world we live in today does not dictate what the world will look like in the future. Impossible-to-imagine futures can become possible.
So starting on Thursday and running through Oct. 22 we will host a subdued version of Oktoberfest at Lehrhaus, not just to remember German-Jewish life, but as a symbol of hope for what the world can become.
There will be a class on composers who transformed their experiences during the Holocaust into transcendent music, a session on the life and thought of the 19th-century Modern Orthodox theologian Rabbi S.R. Hirsch and a class on Regina Jonas, the first female rabbi in the modern world.
We’re inviting everyone to gather, learn something about German Jewry, enjoy the best damn soft pretzels this side of Berlin, and be together in the comfort of community. Proceeds from our Zoigl Star beer — our Oktoberfest collaboration with Lamplighter Brewing — will go directly to those affected in Israel.
Now, more than ever, we need each other. We need to be together. And we need to keep the dream of a brighter future alive, even when it can be hard to see.
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The post Here’s why we’re holding a Jewish Oktoberfest despite the worst mass slaughter of Jews since the Holocaust appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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Israeli Parliament Votes Overwhelmingly Against Palestinian Statehood
A general view shows the plenum at the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, in Jerusalem, May 29, 2019. Photo: Reuters / Ronen Zvulun.
In a highly symbolic move, Israeli’s parliament, known as the Knesset, on Thursday easily approved a motion to reject Palestinian statehood west of the Jordan River.
The move came less than two months after three European countries officially recognized a Palestinian state and just days before Israeli Prime Minister Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to visit the United States and address a joint session of the US Congress.
The resolution, sponsored by Ze’ev Elkin of the National Unity Party, declares that the Knesset “firmly opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state west of the Jordan” and that a Palestinian state “in the heart of the Land of Israel would pose an existential danger to the State of Israel and its citizens, perpetuate the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and destabilize the region.”
“Promoting the idea of a Palestinian state at this time,” the resolution continues, “would be a reward for terrorism and would only encourage Hamas and its supporters, who will view this as a victory thanks to the massacre of Oct. 7, 2023.”
Hamas-led Palestinian terrorists invaded southern Israel from neighboring Gaza on Oct. 7, murdering 1,200 people and abducting about 250 others as hostages. Israel responded with an ongoing military campaign in Gaza, which is ruled by Hamas, aimed at freeing the hostages and dismantling the Palestinian terrorist group’s military and governing capabilities.
A Palestinian state, according to the resolution, would be a springboard for a new wave of terrorist factions like Hamas.
“We will not be able to convince our friends in the world unless we will speak clearly against the establishment of a Palestinian state, which is a threat to the State of Israel,” Gideon Sa’ar, head of the New Hope-United Right faction, told fellow lawmakers while debating the resolution. “There will be no foreign sovereignty west of the Jordan [River]; there cannot be. Every area we withdraw from becomes a terror zone.”
Israel withdrew all its troops and civilian settlers from Gaza in 2005.
Mansour Abbas, part of the United Arab List party, firmly opposed the resolution in the Knesset, arguing that a successful peace agreement with the Palestinians requires the stability of a state. “A peace agreement cannot be reached with an organization or with factions,” he told the Knesset. “You should have first of all made sure to establish a sovereign, independent Palestinian state, and then signed a peace agreement with it.”
The resolution passed in a 68-9 vote after receiving widespread support from Netanyahu’s coalition as well as right-wing parties from the opposition and Benny Gantz’s centrist National Unity party.
Several countries condemned the Knesset’s resolution. In a statement, France’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs “expressed dismay” at the measure, arguing “only a two-state solution can bring a just and lasting peace to both Israelis and Palestinians.”
Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong declared on X/Twitter: “A secure and prosperous future for both Israelis and Palestinians will only come with a two-state solution,” adding, “Today’s Knesset vote denies this reality.”
The vote could be a point of discussion when Netanyahu travels to the US next week. US President Joe Biden has repeatedly declared his support for a two-state solution to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Israeli officials have countered now is not the time to push for the establishment of a Palestinian state, noting Gaza is ruled by Hamas while the West Bank is governed by the Palestinian Authority (PA), which has long been riddled with allegations of corruption and authoritarianism.
Recent polling has found that the Palestinian people in both Gaza and the West Bank generally support the Oct. 7 massacre, want Hamas to remain in power in Gaza, and would back Hamas over the PA’s ruling Fatah party in elections.
However, Spain, Norway, and Ireland officially recognized a Palestinian state in May, arguing such a move would help foster a two-state solution and lead to lasting peace in the region. They noted that the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza accelerated their plans.
The post Israeli Parliament Votes Overwhelmingly Against Palestinian Statehood first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Adidas Accused of ‘Embracing Jew-Hatred’ for Featuring Anti-Israel Model Bella Hadid in New Campaign Tied to Munich Massacre
Bella Hadid in a new Adidas campaign for the brand’s remake of its SL 72 sneaker. Photo: Adidas
The German sportswear company Adidas is facing backlash for choosing Bella Hadid to model its new take on sneakers used by athletes at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, where 11 Israeli participants were murdered by Palestinian terrorists.
Adidas announced on Monday the release of its iconic SL 72 sneaker, first released in 1972, in five new colorways ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. The campaign featured “titans from the world of sport and culture,” including Hadid, soccer player Jules Koundé, rapper A$AP Nast, musician Melissa Bon, and model Sabrina Lan. The running sneaker was originally designed for runners in the Munich Olympics, where 11 Israeli athletes and coaches were killed in a terrorist attack perpetrated by the Palestinian group Black September.
Hadid has a history of criticizing Israel and accusing the Jewish state of colonization, ethnic cleansing, occupation, and apartheid over the Palestinian people. She has claimed Israel perpetrates a “government system suppressing people,” posted on social media about alleged “Palestinian oppression” under Israel, and in 2021 participated in a pro-Palestinian rally where she chanted “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” which has been widely interpreted as a call for the destruction of the Jewish state, which is located between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. Hadid has also falsely accused Israel of being a “Jewish supremacist” state and claimed “Jesus was Palestinian.”
Adidas was founded by brothers and Nazi party members Adolf and Rudolf Dassler in Germany in 1924.
Ynet, which accused Adidas of displaying “insensitivity” in its collaboration with Hadid, reported that the campaign will not appear in Israel. The campaign has already been criticized by the state of Israel’s official account on X/Twitter and also the watchdog group StopAntisemitism.org.
The Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) demanded that Adidas apologize and drop Hadid from the campaign, calling her inclusion “an affront” to the memory of the Israelis murdered at the 1972 Olympic Games.
“For Adidas to choose Hadid, someone who is constantly baiting Jews and attacking the Jewish State, is bad enough, but to have her launch a shoe commemorating an Olympics when so much Jewish blood was shed is just sick,” CAM CEO Sacha Roytman Dratwa said in a statement. “We call on Adidas to apologize for this decision and drop Hadid immediately. Otherwise, it will be seen as a direct attack on the memory of the 11 Israelis who were murdered while merely trying to participate in the Olympic Games.”
He noted that the Israeli delegation heading to Paris for this year’s Olympic Games has already been threatened with violence, adding, “Thoughtless actions like this only embolden Israel haters and antisemites.”
Social media users also attacked the German brand for hiring Hadid to be the face of a campaign tied to the deadly Munich Olympics where Israelis were murdered, describing the decision as “simply unbelievable, hypocritical, and disgusting.” One user on X/Twitter, wrote: “Adidas just ruined their name and reputation with one disgusting decision.”
Adar Rubin, from the grassroots movement #EndJewHatred, said, “By partnering with Bella Hadid, a blatant Hamas defender, Adidas has officially shown that they learned nothing from the Kanye West fallout by once again embracing Jew-hatred.”
Rubin was referring to the creative partnership Adidas had with West, who made a series of antisemitic comments in 2022. The brand terminated its eight-year working relationship with the rapper and withdrew his Yeezy line of products because of his remarks. Adidas later began selling its remaining Yeezy inventory and promised to donate a “significant amount” of proceeds to groups that combat hate speech. However, Adidas Chief Executive Bjørn Gulde seemingly defended West last year, saying the rapper “didn’t mean what he said” and that he was not “a bad person – it just came across that way.”
Following widespread backlash, Gulden apologized for suggesting that West, who now legally goes by the name Ye, did not mean the antisemitic comments he made.
The post Adidas Accused of ‘Embracing Jew-Hatred’ for Featuring Anti-Israel Model Bella Hadid in New Campaign Tied to Munich Massacre first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Scotland’s Glasgow Festival of Contemporary Arts Accused of Illegally Discriminating Against Israeli Artists
Palestinian supporters protesting outside a Scotland vs. Israel match at the a UEFA Women’s European Qualifiers at Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland on May 31, 2024. Photo: Alex Todd/Sportpix/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect
A group of pro-Israel lawyers in the United Kingdom has accused The Glasgow International Festival of Contemporary Arts of discriminating against Israeli artists and performers by not allowing them to participate in Scotland’s biennial event that was held last month.
UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) has called on the Glasgow City Council and the British Council — both of whom funded the festival — to launch an investigation into Glasgow International, the group announced on Thursday. The event, which took place June 7-23, is Scotland’s largest festival for contemporary art. It is held over the course of three weeks every two years across the city of Glasgow. The festival is managed by Glasgow Life, a charity that organizes cultural and sporting events on behalf of the Glasgow City Council.
On June 21, organizers of this year’s Glasgow International Festival of Contemporary Arts, who are also employees of Glasgow Life, announced in an open letter published on Instagram that the 2024 event would be organized in accordance with guidelines of the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) and the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement (BDS) against Israel. The organizers also falsely accused Israel of genocide and apartheid, and expressed their support for “Palestinian liberation.”
The open letter was signed by Glasgow Festival Director Richard Birkett, Open Program Convenor Siobhan Carroll, Curator Poi Marr, Assistant Curator Pelumi Odubanjo, and Festival Manager Diana Stevenson. All five of them also signed an open letter in December 2023 — two months after the deadly Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel — that called for a boycott of Israel and falsely claimed Palestinians are being “assassinated” and “massacred by the Israeli military.”
UKLFI pointed out that Glasgow International’s boycott of Israeli artists and performers this year was in violation of the Equality Act of 2010, which states that it is illegal to discriminate against someone providing a public service by not providing them with the opportunity to publicize, promote, and ticket their performances and works. By not offering Israeli artists and performers contracts to work at or for the festival, Glasgow organizers acted illegally, the group of lawyers said in a letter written to the Glasgow City Council and the British Council.
“The staff of this arts organization apparently believe themselves to be taking the ‘high moral ground’ when in fact they are engaging in false slurs,” said UKFLI Director Caroline Turner. “Far from promoting equality or diversity, they are illegally discriminating against a whole race and nationality. We hope that their funders will take note of their illegal and discriminatory behavior and will ensure that this does not happen again.”
The post Scotland’s Glasgow Festival of Contemporary Arts Accused of Illegally Discriminating Against Israeli Artists first appeared on Algemeiner.com.